We reached out to a local detasseling company and here is her response: "If this would happen, we would lose 85% of our workers. This would be a great detriment to not only us, but the seed companies, the kids, and the state of NE. as a whole. There is no way the seed industry can stay where it is if this changes. Seems silly to me that you can get a school permit when you are 14 and drive to school. But you can't walk in a corn field for two more years." We agree completely!(Lincoln Journal Star) -- JournalStar.com reports that "the first proposed changes to federal child labor laws involving agriculture since the 1970s could threaten the summer detasseling jobs of thousands of Nebraska teenagers in cornfields." According to the story, the U.S. Department of Labor is trying to upgrade regulations on agriculture workers under age 18. U.S. Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska said of the proposed rules: "While I believe agricultural workers and their employers need to take proper precautions to encourage workplace safety, this proposed rule raises serious questions about the administration's understanding of the agricultural economy."
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